Legacy
by redeeminglove
Summary: If being the daughter of a legendary surgeon is hard enough. Try being a child prodigy and having your childhood taken away from you, as one day I will be my mother's replacement. My name is Dr. Meredith Grey, welcome to my Life...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer I do not own the characters of Grey's Anatomy and their story lines. I simply could not get enough and I have to keep myself busy till Season 13th comes September 2016.**

 **Legacy**

When you are the only child of the legendary surgeon Ellis Grey, there are major expectations for your life. Being ordinary is simply unacceptable and nothing that you can do will ever be good enough... At least not until your mother is diagnosed with early onset of Alzheimer's disease and you become her pet project to shape and mold you into her replacement. Her personal contribution to medicine. My life has definitely being different than the average person, as the hallways of Seattle Grace Hospital were my playground and watching surgeries were my favorite pass time.

Since my father abandoned us and my mother became a single parent, I was raised with minimum contact with my mother and private tutors who observed that I was gifted from a young age. I loved to read anything to do with surgery and read countless books too advanced for a 9 year old to be reading. I was obsessed that if I were like my mother she would notice me. The Irony of it all is that with a sharp mind and a photographic memory the summer of 1978 changed my life. That was when my mother was diagnosed and her career would be cut short. My mother decided to impart me all her knowledge so that I would continue her life's work when she no longer would remember me and succumb to her disease.

I remember that I loved the attention and being allowed in ORs to observe procedures. Our rituals were observing surgeries in the morning, school in the afternoon with my tutors, and watching surgical tapes at night. I later realized that the attention she gave me was simply so that she could preserve her name and make sure that I would be the best in the field when the time came. By the age of 11 we moved to New Hampshire and I was accepted to Dartmouth as their youngest student in the history of the university. My mother took a job with Dartmouth-Hitchcock Center with an agreement that I would be allowed to be her personal intern outside of school hours. By the time I graduated medical school at 17 years old, I had already logged 10,000 hours in an OR with my mom. The Grey Method was my specialty and I was well versed in all aspects of General Surgery.

Perhaps this unfair advantage has made me more distant from other interns as I was the youngest in my program. When I started back at Seattle Grace I was already ahead of most 3rd year residents and as a legacy my life was pure hell. My name is Dr. Meredith Grey and you are about to witness the madness of my life.


	2. Chapter 2

**Legacy**

August 10, 1986

 **Carolyn Shepherd's POV**

"Boys, do you have everything? We are going to be late to moving in day at Columbia!" They were not listening and were flirting with the neighbor's girls.

"Mark Everett Sloan!" "Do not make me drag you by your ears we have to leave now." Walking to the neighbor's yard I dragged him by his ears.

"Mrs. Shepherd Ouch!

"Go get Derek or I swear that I will make sure you both walk to school with all your luggage" Holding his red ears he turns to me with pleading eyes.

"Geez woman I'm going!" Mark ran into the house to find my missing son.

"Derek, Mrs. Shepherd is going to blow a gasket if we don't hurry up!"

"I can hear you Mark" I walk into Derek's room to collect the last of his boxes.

"We love you Mrs. Shepherd!"

"Boys, make sure to find your sister Liz as she will show you around campus"

"I know mom. Liz is the hall monitor and will know all about the school" Looking through the rearview mirror I can see them snicker and roll their eyes at me.

As we are driving out of the neighborhood I can see my daughter Amelia riding her pink bike with a group of friends. I honk at her and remind her "Amelia sweetheart, please be good to Mrs. Mason and stay out of trouble. I will be back in about 2 hours so please try not to break any windows or get into fights with the boys."

Amelia caught off guard responds, "I know mom, no fighting till you get home" "Amelia!" "Ooops, I meant I will be good…" Sighing she pedals away after waving goodbye to Mark and Derek in the back seat of our minivan.

As we start driving again I can hardly believe that my boys are 20 years old and are leaving for school for the first time after taking a couple of years to travel. I just got them back and I'm not quite ready to let them go yet. The drive to Columbia is about 3 hours and as I call my son to ask him to call Liz, I see that both boys are out like a light. I have to cherish these moments as I know that these are the last time I will have them together for a long time.

 **Liz Shepherd's POV**

"Yes mom… No mom. I will make sure that Derek goes to class."

I am half listening as I can't believe that might stupid brother had to come to my school and ruin my life.

"What did you say mom? Oh… Ok. I will see Mark and Derek soon for orientation and I promise that they will behave."

I am definitely half listening while my friends are walking by the hallway talking to me. As I hang up the phone I am glad that this is my senior year and I will be graduating soon.

 **Carolyn Shepherd's POV**

I am looking for my daughter as I am clueless to where we need to unload the car and where the boys' dorm is located. She promised that she would be here to greet us and show us around. Why I am not surprised... Shaking my head, I park to get directions and realized that we were two blocks from the dorm. Once we get to the right building we are start to unload their luggage. As I look up Mark is talking to some girls trying to get their number.

"Mark come here this instant and help us unload the car!"

"Ladies, duty calls but please call me later and we can definitely pick up where we left of." He runs back with a smug face and I give him a stern look. "Mark you are here for school, not for the ladies."

"Yes Ma'am" I know that he is only saying this to shut me up but I don't think that he will ever change. A ladies man through and through.

After we unload the car the boys and are exchanging hugs and I am saying goodbye. I really wish that my husband was still alive to help me through this. No matter how many children go to college I am always a mess. As I drove off I pray a silent prayer asking God to watch over all my kids.

 **Meredith Grey's POV**

Today is definitely an interesting day as I officially start my internship here at Seattle Grace Memorial Hospital. Despite having the experience of working with my mom and learning from her over her cases this is when my training gets tested and all that she has imparted into me comes into play. I know that I should not worry as I can call code in my sleep but it never gets easy when I am the outsider and I am judge because of my mother.

As I walk into the locker room I see all kinds of people changing and running out as soon as possible. This is definitely a change from Dartmouth and the hospital where my mom worked at. There it was a quiet hospital where most of the show was run by mother and no one would move unless she called the shots.

I have worked so hard to keep it together for her as her health continues to deteriorate. It got to a point where my mom had me emancipated so that I could make decisions for the care of her estate. This is a burden that a 17 year old girl should not have to live with. She decided that it was time to check herself into a long term care facility as she did not want to continue living as she could no longer be Ellis Grey the surgeon.

During my medical school I worked closely with my mother learning all her skills and techniques and helping her to perfect The Grey Method. As a prideful woman she asked me to tell all her colleagues that she is away writing a book. Thus I had to move back to the house so that I can be close to her if she needs me. Lately her disease has progressed faster and she has lapses of memory to a time when I was a little girl. Other times she re-lives her glory days when she was The General Surgeon who won 2 Harper Avery's. If people only knew… I shake off my thoughts and get dressed. As soon as I am ready I rush to my resident Dr. Webber. We start our tour at an OR and Dr. Webber turns on the lights and begins his famous speech that I have heard for many years as a child.

"Each of you today comes with Hope,

One man in the game,

A month ago you were in med school being taught by doctors,

Today you are the doctors,

The Five years you spend here will be the best and worst of your life,

You will be pushed to the breaking point,

Look around you and say hello to your competition,

Eight of you will switch to an easier specialty,

Five of you will crack under the pressure,

Two of you will be asked to leave,

This is your starting line,

This is your arena,

How well you play it's up to you."

I can see how scared these people are and if I were anyone else I would be terrified. But since I am Dr. Meredith Grey and Surgery is my drug of choice I live for these days…


End file.
